Verbal Analogies

What you need to understand

Name the relation in the first pair before looking at the options, and name it in a sentence: this is the opposite of that, or this means the same as that.

An analogy is settled by the relation, not by the words. Any pair that is related in the right way completes the analogy, whatever the pair is about.

The two relations that can be marked objectively are sameness of meaning and opposition, so they are what the practice sets use.

Exams also use other relations, among them part to whole, cause to effect, and a thing to its category, but those need a judgement about which reading was intended and are best left to a teacher.

The order of the pair matters. If the first pair runs from the general to the particular, the second must run the same way.

The two pairs in one analogy are unrelated in subject matter. A question about a kitchen will pair with a question about arithmetic, and looking for a link between them wastes time.

Every option is usually the same part of speech as the third word, so grammar will not rule any of them out.

How to work through these questions

Read the first pair and say the relation out loud as a sentence.

Check the relation works in both directions, because a pair can look like one relation forwards and another backwards.

Write down what the third word needs: if the first pair are opposites, the answer is the opposite of the third word.

Test each option against that requirement rather than against a feeling about the words.

Strike out any option that merely belongs to the same subject as the third word without standing in the right relation to it.

Check the direction: the answer must relate to the third word in the same order that the second related to the first.

Put the answer back into the sentence and confirm the two pairs read the same way.

Mistakes that cost marks

Choosing a word that is related to the third word, but by a different relation from the one shown.
Reversing the relation, so that a part-to-whole pair is completed with a whole-to-part answer.
Naming the relation too loosely. Covers and contains are different relations even though both link a thing with what it holds.
Looking for a subject link between the two pairs, which is never there and leads to no answer.
Being drawn to an option that is related in a striking way rather than in the right way.
Settling on the first relation that fits the first pair without checking that the third word could have that relation at all.

Worked example

Cold is to hot as shallow is to which of the following?

Read the first pair: cold and hot are opposites, at the two ends of a scale of temperature.
The relation is opposition, so the answer is the opposite of shallow.
Shallow describes a small depth, so the opposite must describe a great depth.
Deep describes a great depth, and nothing can be shallow and deep at once.
Check the direction: hot is the opposite of cold, and deep is the opposite of shallow, so the two pairs read the same way.
An option such as wide belongs to the same subject, the size of things, but being wide is not the opposite of being shallow, so it is wrong.

Answer: deep

Practice questions with answers

A few Verbal Analogies questions with the full solution shown, so you can see how the method is applied before you attempt the timed set.

Question 1

keep is to prevent as convey is to which of the following?

A stare
B fade
C express
D close

Answer: Option C — with explanation

The first pair mean the same thing, so the same has to hold of the second pair. The word that stands in that relation to 'convey' is 'express', which completes the pair in the same way. Common mistakes - a verb like the others, but not related to 'convey' in the way the first pair are related: close - a verb like the others, but not related to 'convey' in the way the first pair are related: stare - a verb like the others, but not related to 'convey' in the way the first pair are related: fade

Question 2

Complete the pair: folly : foolishness :: authority : ?

A judgment
B medication
C potency
D band

Answer: Option C — with explanation

The first pair mean the same thing, so the same has to hold of the second pair. The word that stands in that relation to 'authority' is 'potency', which completes the pair in the same way. Common mistakes - a noun like the others, but not related to 'authority' in the way the first pair are related: judgment - a noun like the others, but not related to 'authority' in the way the first pair are related: band - a noun like the others, but not related to 'authority' in the way the first pair are related: medication

Question 3

country is to land as maintenance is to which of the following?

A limitation
B upkeep
C craft
D winner

Answer: Option B — with explanation

The first pair mean the same thing, so the same has to hold of the second pair. The word that stands in that relation to 'maintenance' is 'upkeep', which completes the pair in the same way. Common mistakes - a noun like the others, but not related to 'maintenance' in the way the first pair are related: limitation - a noun like the others, but not related to 'maintenance' in the way the first pair are related: winner - a noun like the others, but not related to 'maintenance' in the way the first pair are related: craft

Question 4

discern is related to distinguish in the same way that embrace is related to which of these?

A encompass
B check
C bend
D squeeze

Answer: Option A — with explanation

The first pair mean the same thing, so the same has to hold of the second pair. The word that stands in that relation to 'embrace' is 'encompass', which completes the pair in the same way. Common mistakes - a verb like the others, but not related to 'embrace' in the way the first pair are related: squeeze - a verb like the others, but not related to 'embrace' in the way the first pair are related: check - a verb like the others, but not related to 'embrace' in the way the first pair are related: bend

Question 5

guess is to judge as alter is to which of the following?

A change
B lift
C elapse
D penetrate

Answer: Option A — with explanation

The first pair mean the same thing, so the same has to hold of the second pair. The word that stands in that relation to 'alter' is 'change', which completes the pair in the same way. Common mistakes - a verb like the others, but not related to 'alter' in the way the first pair are related: elapse - a verb like the others, but not related to 'alter' in the way the first pair are related: penetrate - a verb like the others, but not related to 'alter' in the way the first pair are related: lift

Frequently asked questions

Should I look at the options before naming the relation?

No. The options are written to tempt you into finding a relation that fits one of them. Name the relation from the first pair first, then test the options against it.

Do the two pairs have to be about the same thing?

No, and usually they are not. An analogy about cooking will pair with one about arithmetic. What matches is the relation, not the subject.

Does the order of the pair matter?

Yes. If the first pair runs from the whole to its part, the second pair must run the same way. Reversing the order is one of the commonest wrong answers.

What if two options both seem to fit the relation?

Then the relation has probably been named too loosely. Look again at the first pair and ask exactly what kind of link it is, then test both options against the narrower reading.

What if I cannot find any relation in the first pair?

Test the options the other way round. Take each option in turn with the third word and see whether that pair has a relation that matches the first. The one that matches is the answer.